Coffee For Two
by Jammed Radio
Summary: He would never know, but the second cup of coffee she ordered had always been for him. Derek&Angie.


Here's a little pre-Trauma Center for you, featuring Derek, Tyler, Angie, and a little bit of Leslie from their college days! I hope everyone's enjoying their summer~

And this story is dedicated to TCGeek as a late congratulatory fanfic! Congratulations on your marriage! I hope you live a wonderful life with your husband!

Lastly, Trauma Center (c) Atlus

* * *

It was a cool summer day in the Angeles Bay area. Tourists flooded the city streets looking for some place cool to eat, while the college students roamed to local hotspots, relishing their newfound freedom after a long year of studying. Two students in particular were taking special advantage of their time off… to work.

"Tyler, remind me how the hell you got me to do _this_?" Derek Stiles asked his blonde cohort, a deep frown on his face.

"It's a good gig!" Tyler Chase replied cheerily. Dressed in a white button down shirt and black vest, bowtie, and pants, Tyler enjoyed every nuance of his summer job, looking every bit the handsome waiter. "After all, you have girls swooning over you and all you do is carry drinks to tables!"

Derek shot a glare at him. "For _waiters, _sure." he spat. Tyler gave a once over at his friend: white button down shirt rolled at the elbows and black slacks. "The old man has me working the bar!"

Unlike his best friend, the owner of the establishment, a stern seventy-year-old man, decided he would teach Derek everything he knew about coffees and teas. The latter wasn't the least bit excited as he often took his coffee and tea raw without any added taste. It was too late though, to pull back, and Derek had already resigned himself to his fate.

"How long did you have to train?"

Derek groaned. "Three weeks from today. Every day for two hours."

Tyler couldn't help but snigger at his friend's bad luck. It wasn't uncommon that Derek would always get the short end of the stick whether it be the textbooks, classes, or patients whenever they did their rounds at Hope Hospital. This was no exception. He watched as his friend began to wipe every inch of the bar with a damp towel before turning to look at the door. Another waiter would let in their anxious customers; the place was popular enough that they had people waiting outside for a taste of coffee or oriental and English teas.

"Tyler! We need you here!" another waiter, Kyle, ordered walking past the bar. Tables had already begun to be filled and orders needed to be taken.

"Duty calls, Derek!"

There was another woman who also had the misfortune to undergo three weeks of strenuous training in the art of coffee brewing and tea making. However, she was the boss' daughter and far more interested than he. In addition, she only worked when Derek was absent or there were too many orders to be filled by one person. As Derek slowly got the hang of juggling several orders at once, the woman's presence disappeared.

"Derek! Two orders of café au lait! One order of chai tea." Tyler said, smacking down a ticket onto the bar, two weeks into their summer job. Derek was familiar with the order of two café au laits, wondering if it was the same customer (or customers).

Luckily for Derek, the orders had slowed dramatically as the morning rush dwindled down, and he basked in the relief of not having to rush. It would take a lot to admit it, but he enjoyed the entire process of making tea and brewing coffee. It was relaxing from the scents to pacing the rate of which a certain drink was poured. All of the cups and teapots were distinct to a certain tea and method. Everything was so precise, and experimenting after hours made things interesting.

Tyler, exhausted from his shift, sat down at one of the stools and looked in the direction in which two beautiful women were seated. "Man, those two sure are hot!" he whispered conspiratorially to Derek. "The blonde one comes in every now and then, but this is the first time she brought a friend." Tyler wolf whistled as he admired the green-haired young woman.

The bespectacled man cleaned his glasses with a cloth before following Tyler's eyes to the most beautiful woman he ever saw. Her long blonde locks captured the light and made each strand look like spun gold while her emerald eyes sparkled as she giggled at a joke her friend told her.

"She's beautiful." he whispered unconsciously.

Tyler knew his friend was star struck. While he wouldn't quite put the blonde on a pedestal, after all, he was much more fond of her friend, he would have to agree to a certain extent. She was… pretty. What Derek saw, he was not so sure. Perhaps it was the glasses?

Then an idea struck him. Sure, he liked the friend, and if he served their drinks it would give him an opportunity to talk, but Derek was much more in need of female contact. And for some reason, Tyler believed they would make a good couple…

"Those two orders are theirs. Go talk to them!"

"I-I can't! I'm not a waiter!" Derek stammered.

Tyler smirked. "Like carrying around a tray with _three_ drinks is hard. Go on!" He grabbed the other man's wrist and practically dragged him around the bar, pushing him forward to the girls.

Brown eyes glared back at him while Tyler tried to restrain his laughter. His friend really needed more experience with women.

"Excuse me? You ordered two café au laits and a chai tea, right?" he asked nervously. The green haired woman didn't pay him any mind, but his goddess was kind enough to respond with a nod. With the experience of a pro, he carefully set down the three teacups gently onto the table. Tucking the metal platter under his arm, he pulled out a bottle of chocolate syrup from his apron. The owner had given him a present after his training, a black half-apron with several pockets that hung down. It made his job much easier since all of his equipment was always within reach.

"Do you mind?" He held up the chocolate syrup in question.

The blonde shook her head, interested in his next move. Snapping off the cap, Derek poured the chocolate syrup with precision as he made the design of a heart on top of the foam of her café. All of his practice after work seemed insignificant to the million-volt smile she gave him as she looked into the cup.

"H-have a nice day," Derek stuttered, nearly tripping over a chair as he made his way back to the counter.

Tyler gave him a congratulatory slap on the back, and then disappeared into the back to change clothes. Derek looked at the clock behind him and realized it was time for his shift to end too. "Hey, wait up!" Derek called out to Tyler when his friend was nearing the door. As the brunette rushed to catch up, he missed the stare that seemed directed at him coming straight from the blonde he had his heart set on.

-o-

"Angie! Geez, are you finished yet?" Leslie Sears asked, staring at the full cup of café au lait. "Really, I don't understand why you got two orders…"

Angie broke her gaze from the man at the counter and nodded. However, she was quick to pull out her camera and take a picture of the heart drawn in chocolate syrup in the drink she wished the man who served it to her would enjoy one day as well, hopefully with her sitting right in front of him.

"Yeah, let's go."

Unfortunately, Angie Thompson would not return to the café the next day to the disappointment of medical student, Derek Stiles. He would never know that all the times she came to the café, she had watched him through the reflection of the glass window. He would never know how much she loved his smile and his determined expression when it came to making orders. Nor would he ever know that he gave her strength when he said to his blonde friend, "The training may have been miserable, but seeing the people smile as a result makes me want to work harder."

However, her wish was granted several years later when Angie Thompson was now Stiles, and her husband was at her side. They took the seat next to the window that was parallel to the bar where they enjoyed café au laits decorated with pictures the world-renowned surgeon drew with sweet, delicious chocolate syrup.

* * *

A/N: I really don't like the ending, but I honestly just didn't feel like thinking up a different one. Sorry! I'll work harder next time. Anyways, please review! I hope you enjoyed reading!


End file.
